


The Jewel and the Street Rat

by Tamahori



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Families of Choice, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-26 22:40:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18726301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tamahori/pseuds/Tamahori
Summary: What if Lora wasn't the only one to acquire a Royal Blade though unexpected means?A world where Mòrag's background is quite a bit more common, and how that helps to make her the person we know today.





	The Jewel and the Street Rat

It had all gone wrong so fast.

Mòrag did her best to be quiet as she hid in the closet, peeking carefully through a gap in the door.

It had seemed like an okay plan to start with. The house had been empty for over a week. She would just sneak in and see if there was any food or anything that she could sell for food. It wasn't the kind of nice place that had guards, just an empty house.

And then while she was in the middle of exploring it people had suddenly shown up and she needed to hide. She should have gone for the window when she heard them regardless of the noise it would have made but instead, she’d tried to hide out of the way. Thanks to terrible luck she'd ended up hiding in the room they all wanted to use. Now she was trapped and hoping nobody wanted to look in here.

The people were wrong for this place, and their behavior didn’t match their outfits.

She needed to know how to judge people to survive, to know if some stranger was a target or threat. These people dressed like reasonably well-off commoners, but they moved like guards and nobles. Somehow, she'd stumbled on a secret meeting and that was the most scary thing yet because if they saw her there would be no beatings or calling the guard, they would want to silence her. Even at fourteen she had no illusions at all about what people like them would do to remove a problem.

"I still think this plan of yours is insane. Do you know what she does to people that aren't suitable?"

"Of course, I do, but the Emperor is a baby, I have more claim to the throne than anyone other than him. Once she accepts me the rest of the Regency Council will have to follow me. Tradition will give them no choice." The man that seemed to be in charge was taller than the others and her reflexes told her he was the truly dangerous one of the group.

The men were standing around the large table that took up a chunk of the room, arguing over something. As they moved around while shouting at each other she got a look at stack of what might have been books in protective covers and ... a core?

It had to be, that glowing blue shape was unmistakable. Were they arguing about a Blade? But these were obvious nobles, they had Blades already. Now that she looked, she could even see a couple in the room, thankfully focused on the door and windows, not a minor linen closet.

"Tradition only goes so far, that's a royal Blade we're talking about. For anyone else to resonate with her is the death penalty. They could just kill you to reset her. Assuming she doesn't do it for them."

"She will be under my control. A Blade obeys their Driver. Besides that's why we have these here." He nodded at the stack of books, "Without those she won’t know her full background. By the time we let her have them back, I'll be the next Emperor in all but name. With the Jewel at my side no one will argue the point."

Next Emperor ... they were going to do something to the Emperor? Mòrag was a street kid, a thief even, but she was still Ardainan, she was _loyal_. What was the ...

In the closet Mòrag's eyes grew wide, there was only one thing, one _Blade_ that got referred to as the Jewel. Mòrag had seen paintings of her, murals, of the symbol of the empire with her elegance and beauty. They were going to steal the Jewel of Mor Ardain and use it against the Emperor?

No.

She might have stayed frozen in horror but then she saw him reaching out towards the softly glowing core and couldn't hold back a gasp.

There was a slam as one of the other nobles tore open the closet and that spurred her to _move_.

Every exit had a guard, or worse a Blade, on it but it didn't matter. They couldn't have the gem; they couldn't have _her_. They weren't _worthy_ to touch her, Mòrag wasn't either but at least she was loyal.

She exploded out of the closet and threw herself past grabbing hands and at the table. The man there looked up, seeming shocked that this underfed child was charging him. For a moment he didn't seem to know if should dodge or try to grab her. She threw herself onto the table, grabbing the core on the way past as she slid across it’s polished surface and off the other side, slamming into the far wall.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" She wasn't sure who had spoken, except that it had been one of the men and she could hear them moving towards her. She needed to get up, she needed to move, but everything hurt, and the room was a blur from the impact. And there was this weird warmth in her hand and then inside her, something reaching into her, seeming to judge her, a heat that got almost too hot to withstand for a moment before fading to just a pleasant warmth.

Then there was light.

She shook her head and things stopped being blurry. The men had all stopped in a half-circle, not wanting to get close to her. Why.

Then a hand took hers and she somehow knew it was going to be okay, feeling herself being helped up onto her feet. A soft voice said, "It's okay child, you are safe."

Mòrag gave a startled look ... it was her, the woman in the murals, the Jewel of Mor Ardain. She felt her lips whispering a word, "Brighid."

The beautiful woman looked at her, eyes closed but somehow Mòrag knew she was being studied. Brighid's hair flickered with blue fire, "Yes, that is my name. Where ... are we?"

For a long moment it was just them and then a voice intruded. The taller man spoke soothingly, "Look, there has been a misunderstanding here Lady Brighid, we just need to calm down and ..."

Brighid seemed perfectly calm, the most nervous one here was the man. Mòrag probably should have been more scared but this was Brighid, she protected the Empire and everyone in it. Nothing bad could happen with Brighid nearby.

Mòrag interrupted, pointing at the stack of books next to where Brighid’s core had been, "They said those are yours. They wanted to hide them so you wouldn't know not to trust them."

The man shifted a bit towards the books and Mòrag moved. Those were the Jewel's diaries! Nobody else should be touching them, threatening them!

For the second time that night Mòrag threw herself across the table, moving faster than she ever had before as everything slowed down. She had to save them, she _had_ to.

Sliding across the table she skidded past the man and his blade's attempt to grab her and scooped the books up before going off the end and landing up against the far wall with her treasure. This time she managed to end up in a crouch with her arms full of books, like she'd had all the time in the world to get it right.

One of the other men reached out to grab her, "Stupid kid, hold still before ... "

His voice cut off as a slim blade with flames running along its length was suddenly in front of his face.

Brighid's voice was as cold as ice, "I'm not sure who I am. I have no idea who you are. What I do know is that she is my Driver, and if you try to lay a hand on her, you will lose it."

"Everyone needs to calm down, there has been a terrible mistake. That child should never have awakened you ... we just need to ... " the leader paused for a moment, looking at Brighid's two burning swords for a moment and seemed to change his mind about what he wanted to say, "... work out what the best thing to do here is."

Brighid looked at him, and then quietly said, "Child, it is not safe here."

Mòrag wanted to be brave and she had Brighid next to her who could protect her against everything but there were a lot of men and... She couldn't lie to _Brighid_ , it just wasn't done. "I'm scared."

The tall man said, "Nobody needs to be worried; we can deal with it."

Brighid seemed to consider things and then nodded to herself before saying to Mòrag, "Keep a tight grip on those if you please."

Mòrag pulled her arms even more tightly around the books then felt herself being picked up as one of Brighid's swords vanished and the woman pulled Mòrag against her. Then there was a flash of blue fire and an explosion and suddenly part of the wall was missing.

A moment later they were outside as Brighid jumped out taking her new Driver with her. For all that they were three stories up Mòrag hardly felt the impact as the two of them landed. Mòrag retained enough focus to point in a direction, "This way!"

Then the two of them were moving faster than she thought possible, charging down the road as people threw themselves out of the way. Mòrag got a glimpse behind them of the smoldering hole in the building and several people leaning out to watch them leave. Two of the Blades jumped out after them but were quickly left behind as Mòrag kept shouting out directions, leading them into the maze of alleys in this part of the city.

* * *

“Um, it’s not much but it’s hidden and safe and … “

“It will be fine child. We just need somewhere to sit down for a moment.”

Brighid looked around the attic that the child had led her to. It was dusty apart from where a nest of bedding was piled up just the right size for her Driver.

The girl gave her a worried look, “This isn’t worthy of you Lady Brighid.”

Just who _was_ she? Who had she been? On the way to this hidden sleeping area, she couldn’t really call it a home, they had passed a faded mural that was obviously a fairly well-done picture of her. Unless there were other Blades in this city with blue flame on their hair, boots, and gloves, and the same dress. She was famous?

“Child, now that we can stop … could you please tell me your name.”

The girl blinked, “Oh, um. I’m Mòrag. Um … I’m not supposed to have you. You’re a royal blade, you’re supposed to be linked to the Emperor, those men were trying to steal you I think?” She suddenly seemed to remember what was in her arms and held out the bundle, “They said these were yours.”

Brighid carefully took them and put them on a box before opening the first one. A diary … her diary. She started checking the others which helpfully had dates on the covers … apparently, she’d been keeping these for hundreds of years. This was her history, her old life, the people she’d know. The closest thing she had to immortality. She remembered watching her Driver, this little child, throw herself into those men just to rescue them, and crouched down to pull Mòrag into a tight hug,, “Thank you for saving these for me. They’re very precious.”

Now that they weren’t running around the city her Driver was letting herself sag and a sleepy, “I had to save them, they’re yours … you’re important.”

Such faith, how had she earned it? Well she probably had an answer in those books. “I think it’s time for you to rest.”

“Mmokay.”

Brighid sat herself down and pulled Mòrag into her lap, pulling a blanket over the two of them. It was only a few minutes before the girl was peacefully sleeping. Brighid let herself smile and lightly stroke the girl’s hair as she picked up the most recent book one-handed in a way that seemed weirdly familiar.

Settling in she started to read, finding an introduction written to her from her older self. And things started to make sense.

* * *

Mòrag blinked awake. She’d had the oddest dream. It involved her and the Jewel of Mor Ardain running through the city. It was a pity she had to wake up to another day of scrounging for food.

“Ah, I hope you are well rested.”

Who was that?

She blinked again and then looked at the unmistakable figure of Brighid who was leaning over her giving her a warm smile, hair softly flickering.

Oh. It hadn’t been a dream.

“Um … hi?”

“Good morning. I’ve been reading the diaries you saved for me.”

“Ah … do you need to kill me now?”

The Blade froze for a moment, “Why would I do that?”

“I’m not royalty and I’m your Driver. That’s illegal.”

Brighid sighed, “It’s certainly unusual. There are conventions in place for somebody to bond with me if it’s the only way to preserve me from enemies … I think those men you recovered me from certainly count, don’t you?”

Mòrag franticly nodded, “They were wanting to use you against Emperor Niall!”

“Indeed. We will have to plan what to do, it looks like we can’t trust all of the government right now … how about the Emperor himself? For that matter why isn’t he my driver? Is he incapable?”

“Nobody knows yet … he’s, um, not quite one year old.”

There was a long pause.

“I … see.”

Brighid leaned down and put her arms around the shivering child, “In that case I’m going to have to ask a favor of you.”

“Anything your ladyship.”

She smiled, “I need you to look after me until the Emperor is old enough, then we can go to him and work something out.”

Mòrag nodded again, “How old is that?”

The Blade tilted her head as she pondered that, “When he awakens Aegaeon, that will work. I’m not sure when that will be but it’s an important part of him taking on his formal role. It should be safe to talk to him then.”

“Um, that won’t be for years.”

Brighid smiled again, “Then I guess we’ll be having to find something to pass the time.” At a loud gurgle from the girl’s belly she frowned, “Starting with finding you something to eat.”

* * *

Mòrag had never felt so tired before.

Her hand was shaking a bit but she kept the sword level as she held it in guard position against its partner in Brighid’s hand. The blade smiled approvingly at her driver’s determination, “Very good, but you should rest now.”

“I can keep going.” Mòrag wasn’t going to let Brighid down.

Brighid’s answer to that was to reach out and lightly tap the tip of Mòrag’s sword, the rapier almost falling out of the girl’s hand before she managed to get it back into line.

“I respect your determination but you need to rest now. You’re learning fast but you will hurt yourself if you push too hard. You want to be your best for me, right?”

That did it, Mòrag carefully putting the blade in the sheath at her hip before letting herself almost fall down.

Brighid wrapped her in a warm hug before handing her some water, “There. You can’t become a top swordswoman overnight, no matter how determined you are to try.”

After emptying the bottle and having some food Mòrag carefully asked, “How do I compare to your other Drivers?”

“You’re certainly putting more effort in than most, but they normally started with a lot more training in their background before they awoke me. Also they had an empire to run, you are the first Driver I’ve had in a long time that’s free to focus on nothing but learning how to fight with me.” She leaned over and tapped Mòrag on the nose, “But you will not burn yourself out my girl. If anyone is burning things around here it will be me. Is that clear?”

Mòrag nodded, “Yes ma’am.”

Brighid nodded back. It was different not being part of the royalty, but down here she would be helping people more personally than any of her previous lives had been able to. She was quite looking forward to it.

* * *

The boy fled down the alley. He realized too late he’d gotten turned around when he took the wrong corner and found himself in a dead end.

“Ah, there is the brat.”

The three figures that walked around the corner were obviously well off, expensive clothing and quality weapons, moving with the haughty arrogance of the aristocracy.

The man in the lead slowly shook his head, “What are we doing to do with you?”

The boy backed up against the wall, “I didn’t do anything!”

The man frowned, “You ran into me right in the middle of the street. You tore my clothing.” Indeed, the man’s expensive vest had a tear right across it where a flailing hand had caught it.

“I didn’t see you, I’m sorry.”

One of the others laughed, “Listen to him thinking an apology can cover this. That damage is worth a lot more than you are.”

The other grinned, “Yeah. We’ll show you what sorry really is.”

They advanced and then stopped when a female voice came from behind them, “That’s quite enough of that.”

Slowly they turned to see two figures, and if one of them was just some teenage girl the blue flames around the other made her identity all too clear. The man in charge quietly muttered, “Ah shit.”

The teenager grinned, “Quite.”

Two years had done more than just put height and mass on her. Mòrag moved like a trained fighter now and the swords at her hips were more ornate and far more lethal than what the men were carrying.

As she stalked towards them the leader held his hands out, “Now we don’t want any trouble here. We were just talking with this lad about making sure he was okay after his fall.”

Mòrag stopped for a moment and closed her eyes, looking like her Blade for a moment before opening them again, “Is that really the story you’re going with?”

“Look, I know you’re trying to be some kind of protector of the streets but that’s a royal Blade, you can’t just … “

Brighid spoke up for the first time, “My Driver does far more to uphold the honor of Mor Ardain than you likely ever will. I find myself thinking that the nation’s honor would benefit from you three not being in it anymore.”

Mòrag smirked, “So here is the thing. You three aren’t criminals, you aren’t monsters, you’re just arrogant idiots. So, I’m going to let you off with a warning this time. Get out of here and don’t let me find you in this part of town again until you’ve learned better manners.” She got right up to the leader, “And if I find that you’ve tried to take revenge on that poor boy behind you, trust me, we _will_ find you, and you will find yourself regretting many things on that day. Is this clear?”

He nodded frantically, “Yes. I understand. Can we go?”

She stepped to one side and they ran for it.

Once the cost was clear the boy walked over, “Thanks for that Mòrag, it’s good to have somebody watching over us.”

Brighid drifted over, “We all need to watch out for each other child.”

He grinned, “Some are better at it than others though. Oh … on that note, I overhead one of the Larson Gang’s men and he was saying they are having a meeting soon. I’ve got a location.”

Mòrag smiled, something a lot hungrier than what she had showed the slumming nobles, “Splendid, they have been hurting people for far too long.”

The boy nodded, “You’re going to stop them.” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement.

She smiled, “It’s what I do.”

* * *

“So, what do we do?”

Rather than a dark room for plotting it was a well-lit terrace off to one side of a garden party. There was enough privacy though, their Blades could ensure that, and casual conversations like this happened all the time at these parties.

The man who had been behind the plan in the first place sighed, “There isn’t much we can do. The original plan couldn’t be more dead if Mor Ardain stepped on it, we just have to work with what we have.”

“She saw us, she saw our faces!”

Another man spoke up, “Could we get somebody in to capture her?”

“Capture the Jewel? She’s a royal Blade for a reason, she’s almost unstoppable once she gets going.”

“What if we could get the goddess from Indol? They say she can shut down any Blade.”

The leader shook his head, “That would breach their neutrality. Best we can hope for is to drop a comment to them and see if they decided to get involved and that is vanishingly unlikely. It’s possible that insane envoy of theirs might choose to fight her but I would not rely on it.”

“We need to do something; she knows too much.”

The leader looked out at the World Tree thoughtfully, “If the girl dies the Blade will forget everything. She has to sleep sometime. It would be a shame if a mischief happened to her … and if something happened to destroy the diaries or any other notes Brighid might have taken about us … “

“I … will talk to some people.”

He nodded and took a sip of his wine. It was a pity really, that the girl had survived this long implied she had talent but she was too much of a threat, and threats got dealt with.

* * *

“Villain and thief I call you!”

Mòrag sighed and turned to face the aristocrat facing her down in the street with his sword already out. At least this one seemed sober and had a Blade with him. Not a generic one either. A tall equally aristocratic man who was obviously a blade from the glowing parts of his armor and the massive hammer held casually in one hand.

She tilted her head to look at him, hands resting lightly on the swords at both hips, “Can I help you?”

“You have claimed the noble jewel and you have no right to her. You are a thief and unworthy of her power!”

At least this wasn’t as bad as when that insane Zeke man had passed though. He hadn’t wanted to fight her. Had in fact approved of her work, sparred with her - which had been _educational_ \- and then moved on.

Mòrag spread her hands out, “I think we can say that Brighid finds me perfectly worthy of her powers. She hasn’t set me on fire even once.”

For a woman made in part out of living flame the Jewel could be remarkably stealthy as she spoke up from behind the man and his Blade, “I find her to have more honor than most and I will not let some random fop tell me who I can have as my Driver.”

The man’s eyes went wide, and he spun to face her, “Noble Brighid, you are a royal blade, only the Emperor should be wielding you. Surely you can see that.” Next to him his blade tensed up, bringing his hammer to the ready, the glowing shield projection in front of the head flaring to life. If the human seemed quite confident in his place, the Blade seemed to have a much better idea of the relative danger factors and was obviously not happy with being surrounded.

Brighid sighed, “The emperor is currently eight years old, he’s in no state to be trying to drive any Blade. Now, are you going to go from this place calmly, or shall I and my _chosen Driver_ explain to you the reality of the situation?”

Mòrag felt the ripple through their link and casually drew her right-hand sword even as she felt the left-hand one flare and vanish … and appear a moment later in Brighid’s hand pointed directly at the noble.

There was a long moment when she thought he might get the hint, but no. He cried out, “On my honor as an Ardainan I cannot let this stand! Defend yourselves!”

At least he wasn’t totally stupid as he spun and charged towards her, letting his Blade take off towards Brighid. Splitting up wasn’t a great plan but letting themselves get hit from both sides at once was even worse, and Mòrag didn’t feel slighted that he obviously viewed her as the lesser threat. It was true after all.

Lesser did not mean no threat however and she’d had years of determined training to get to the point where the slim blade in her hand was an extension of her arm, snapping up to parry his first few blows from a well-made but entirely mundane and excessively ornate sword.

He was good, honestly he was better than she was but her link with Brighid was better and Brighid was simply more powerful in every way. So she was faster and stronger than him despite his solid build, and that let her keep on top of his attacks. Fair was for dead people, so she launched a series of strikes and then ignited her sword, forcing him to flinch away from the blue flames.

Past him, she could see the Blade holding his own for the moment but his powerful swings never came close to hitting Brighid. Her Blade danced around her opponent like a flickering flame, her sword striking out occasionally to cut into him. Well, at least she was having fun.

Mòrag threw herself back to avoid a strike then kept falling back to open up the distance, lashing out with a swipe that launched a wave of fire towards him. It slammed into a barrier his Blade had wrapped around him but it did the job of letting her get space to really move as her sword came apart with a practiced flick into its whip form.

He spun out of the way as she snapped the whip towards him in a burning coil, taking a look behind him before he threw his sword away? Even as he let go of it his Blade flung his hammer in the other direction, the massive weapon spinning end over end to slam into the hands of the Driver who charged her the moment he had it in hand. The Blade catching the thrown sword and re-engaging Brighid was an afterthought compared to having a man running at her with the hammer’s shield covering his charge.

Her next blast didn't hold back, a tornado of blue flame smashing out at him and being mostly absorbed by the shield before it was her turn to dodge his charge and follow-up hammer swings. Now she was outmatched with his skill and the power of his weapon, but she was Mòrag, driver of Brighid and she did not go down nearly that easily. If nothing else the longer she could keep this going the more time Brighid had to beat his Blade into submission and at that point it would be two on one.

She jumped into the air as he brought the hammer down in a smash that shook the area and set out a shockwave and launched her own attack as the flames separated from her sword and chased him down, arcing around to try and get past his shield. It forced him onto the defensive and took his shield out of line as she lashed out with the whip to go for his feet, trying to yank him off balance.

It didn’t quite work but it kept him busy and as he spun his hammer around to launch another attack he suddenly froze, a sword seeming to just appear in front of his face.

Brighid’s tone was casual as she threatened him with his own sword. “I believe this fight is now over. I do not know who you are and I do not care, but you have proven yourself unworthy to carry a weapon such as this. I would take both from you but that would be … excessive for the moment. If you return, I will not be so merciful. Nod if you understand.”

Mòrag took the chance to get her breath back as the man slowly nodded. Past him his Blade was alive but on their knees, gasping as they regenerated several painful looking burns.

Brighid pulled the sword away and keeping it in hand, balanced by her own one walked over to join her Driver, “I trust we will have no more … issues?”

The man leaned on his hammer, trying to get his own breath back, and his voice had become a rasp. “No, my lady, will not.” It was obvious, now that the fight was over, his Blade had pulled all their energy back to heal themselves up.

Mòrag nodded, “I’m glad we could sort this all out for you. I’m sure you can find your own way out.”

On that she turned and walked away, speaking more quietly, “At least these are easier to deal with than the assassination attempts.”

Brighid nodded, “You think whoever it was would stop after losing this many assassins … but sadly I’m quite sure there will be more.

“He was … competent. Do you think this was a serious attempt on us?”

“Probably not … I expect we’ll be seeing a representative of his family showing up to apologize.”

For all the nobles didn’t like to admit this part of the capital existed they all found use in it, either visiting themselves or sending their people in. It was amazing how quickly a noble house started regretting offending her when all the locals refused to deal with them or any of their people. Mòrag hadn’t even requested it, but she was the protector of the local people now and when they found any way to help their hero, they would go for it.

It was good to know she was helping, she just hoped that it would be enough to make it all worth it when she finally faced the Emperor and his judgement.

* * *

“Your highness?”

Niall dragged himself out of sleep and opened his eyes to find his Blade Aegaeon leaning over him, “What is it?” How early was it?

Aegaeon looked confused, “Something … unexpected has come up, I think you need to see this?”

A few minutes later he was walking into his sitting room. Something weird was up, it was still the early morning, Aegaeon had _not_ summoned any staff, and he refused to say what exactly was happening except he would have to see it for himself.

He briefly considered a very odd assassination attempt but if Aegaeon wanted him dead he had much less involved ways to manage it.

There was a woman waiting for him. She was standing at almost attention though her clothing was distinctly non-military, lower class but in good condition. She looked distinctly nervous to be facing him. “Your highness, my name is Mòrag.”

It took him a few moments to match that name up to some reports about a Driver known to be active in the lower parts of the city who’d gotten a reputation for going after criminals, monsters, and other threats that tried to pray on the poorest citizens. That wouldn’t normally be something that he’d hear about except for the rumor of who she was the Driver for.

As if summoned by his thought a hidden passage, one even he didn’t know about, slid open and a figure instantly recognizable from pictures stepped into view. Brighid, the Jewel of Mor Ardain, missing for almost nine years and the second of the two royal Blades he was supposed to be bonded with. She looked around the room briefly and then gave an impeccable curtsy, “Your Highness.”

Nine years. There was no way that Mòrag could be that much older than twenty, “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you. I do find myself curious how you two came to be together.”

They exchanged a glance before Mòrag spoke, “That is part of why we came here. I stole Brighid from the people that stole her from you, they were hoping to use her to threaten your credibility. I ... “ she spread her hands out, “I’m loyal to the crown, I wasn’t going to let somebody just do that. And then I ended up as her Driver and … we didn’t know who to trust. You have Aegaeon now, you have enough power to hang onto her.”

He could see it. He’d been less than a year old when her core had been taken. If somebody with the right bloodlines had shown up with Brighid’s loyalty it could have made things complex for the Regency Council. And that anyone trying this was almost certainly on the council. He hadn’t yet seen his tenth birthday and he had had to get far too good at understanding political infighting. Still, she wasn’t that old, and it had been almost a decade …

“If I may ask, how old were you when this happened? And how did you come to be there?”

Mòrag got a wry smile, “I was a fourteen-year-old burglar, they showed up while I was trying to rob the house. I was a thief. I wasn't a traitor.”

He had to hide a laugh, of all the things to disrupt a plan against him, “Technically speaking just being her Driver is treason.”

Her smile vanished, then she went to one knee before him, “I understand. If my life must be forfeit to you to return her to her rightful Driver, then that is the price I must pay.”

That hasn’t been what he meant. Brighid’s eyes opened as she stared at her Driver, he could only assume that hadn’t been what she expected either. Mòrag was so dreadfully earnest, someone willing to offer up their life for this, and who had kept one of the nation’s greatest treasures guarded until she thought it was safe to return that.

One could call that treason, but there were other names you could use. There were other _titles_ you could use.

Her kneeling had at least put her almost level with him and he put his hand on her shoulder. “I would never ask that of a hero of the empire such as you. There is another way we can solve this, a much better way.”

She gave him a confused look. Oh Architect, she really had expected him to kill her. At least the terribly dangerous fire Blade was relaxing a bit and had closed her eyes again.

He took a breath, “The law says that Brighid can only be joined with a member of the royalty. There is another way that this dilemma has been traditionally solved.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

Niall let himself smile, “I’ve heard stories of what you have been doing, saving people, helping people, and living up to the highest standards of what the nobility should be. By my view you are royalty in all but name, and that last bit is something I can fix.” His smile widened, “Besides, I always liked the idea of having an older sister.”

He had to hold back another laugh at the expression on her face.

In the years to come it was a choice he’d never find himself regretting.

The feelings of regret among his political enemies and foes of his nation were an entirely different matter.

* * *

“Your highness, announcing Lord Finlay Glen McNiel of the Regency Council.”

Finlay walked into the audience room and came to attention. If the rumours hadn’t already reached him the sight of Brighid and Mòrag standing to one side of Emperor Niall’s throne, Aegaeon on the other side, would have been all the warning he needed. It was over.

Niall looked over, “Would this be him, sister?”

The rumours hadn’t quite gone far enough it seemed.

“Yes your highness, he was in charge of the group that took Brighid.”

Brighid herself nodded, “I did not see him for long but he is distinctive. In his minor credit he was trying to talk people down from excessive action … I believe that had more to do with my presence however.”

Niall nodded then looked back, “Lord Finlay, do you have anything to offer in your defence.”

If nothing else he still had his honor, “No your highness. They have the right of it, I did conspire to steal the Lady Brighid with the intention of awakening her to effectively take over the council. I can offer no defence for my actions but to say I did think it was the best move for the Empire at the time.”

His emperor nodded, “And now?”

He allowed himself a slight shrug, “You’re still very untested your highness.”

“I expect if your plan had succeed I never would have had a chance to become tested and remained a figurehead Emperor.”

He … could not entirely rule that out. “What is to happen now, your highness?”

Niall thought on that, “Brighid has requested that she show you what happened to unworthy Drivers of hers.” From the look the Jewel was giving him he thought he’d be lucky if it was just his hands that got burned by her reaction, “But I understand how politics is played.”

It was a bit of a relief that he was probably going to live. Mòrag’s fixed expression showed she understood too, and wasn’t pleased by it. Sorry girl, you want to get into these waters, you have to live under the rules of how things are done. “You shall have my resignation on your desk as soon as I have time to write it. I think I have not been spending enough time with my family.”

“Quite. I think some other members of the council will be joining you in your resignation, it may be time for new blood on the council who … understand the correct relationship between advisors and the advised. I hope you will enjoy your quiet retirement, and I think it would be best if you stayed well away from politics, to avoid any stress that could lead to an early death.”

There was the smallest possible smirk from Mòrag to make it entirely clear that ‘stress’ would probably come in the form of a nighttime visit. Well, if he had lost he couldn’t say that Niall was failing to show skills that would make for an effective Emperor. Mor Ardain could be in worse hands.

“Of course your highness. My family will be happy to see more of me. Ah … if I may make one final suggestion before I resign?”

Niall nodded, “You may.”

Finlay nodded towards Mòrag, “She has been a remarkable thorn in my side as long as I’ve known her and has a downright fanatical devotion to going after corruption in almost any form. I note that the office of Special Inquisitor is not currently filled.”

Niall looked over his new sister thoughtfully and then back, “I’m gratified to see that your loyalty to the Empire, if not my person, remains solid. I wish you luck in your future life Lord Finlay, you are dismissed.”

Finley gave a formal bow, turned, and marched out. Things could have gone far worse really, and the idea of Mòrag being unleashed on those working against the Empire was an amusing one. Let see them deal with the nightmare child for once.

And he would be keeping to the terms of the deal. He did not want to wake up in bed to find that smirk standing over him. He’ll leave that to other, stupider, people.

* * *

The gang member laughed, “Look, I don’t see your precious Flamebringer here to guard you, so are you going to get out of our way or are we to have to get nasty?”

Rorie smirked, “It’s funny really. Mòrag might have gone off to become a princess and everything but she taught us a few things. Like how people can make a difference. You really thought it was just her and Brighid that was messing everything up for you? No, that was all of us.”

Rorie waved a hand and from the surrounding alleys and rooftops people appeared, “And you know what? We’re still here.”

The gang was looking a lot more on edge, but they gripped their weapons tighter, “You think this will stop us?”

Rorie reached behind him and picked up an iron bar. It wasn’t a sword like they had but it would do the job, “I know it will. Now, are you going to run, or do we have to beat you till you can’t stand and drop you outside your boss’s house?”

What happened next wasn’t a riot, it wasn’t even really a mass beating. Both of those would imply disorganization and lack of control. Rorie had never seen their Flamebringer or her Jewel be anything less that perfectly controlled and he wasn’t going to let her down now.

Mòrag had gone on to bigger things, greater things. She had an entire Empire to watch over now, so it was down to people like Rorie to watch over the little places for her.

It would be enough.

* * *

“So, you got a plan for this Rorie?”

Rorie up the street at the squad of troops backed up by an Architect damned Titan Walker. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t think they had that kind of pull.”

“We’re well fucked aren’t we.”

“Us personally? Probably … but we’re going to tear them enough of a new one that the others can finish them off. I know it’s cold comfort but with the amount of damage that’s going to happen high command will be all over this. Win or lose, those guys are doomed.”

Evander sighed but didn’t show any sign of running, “Dammit, I was going to see Finola tonight too. Still, Mòrag wouldn’t back down, so we won’t either.”

“Mòrag would have hit them from the side while they were distracted is what she would have done.”

Evander couldn’t help a laugh, “Yeah, true.”

The lieutenant called out, “Prepare to advance men. Disperse this rabble.”

Rorie still remembered when he first met the Flamebringer. He’d been scavenging outside the safe area. You could sometimes find valuable things out there if the monsters didn’t get you. That time his luck had run out when a monster found him and was about to charge when a wall of blue fire rose to protect him.

Since then he’d seen himself as living on borrowed time and if this was the way it got paid back, hell, he was with friends and fighting for a good cause. There were worse ways to go. Damn if he didn’t wish she was still here though.

And like he’d summoned it, dropping from on high like the Architect’s blessing, a wall of fire smashed down between his men and the troops. The beautiful blue flame that for the people of Alba Cavanich meant ‘It’s okay, you’re going to be alright’.

He almost wondered if he was seeing things, dreaming that he’d been saved, but the troops were coming to a confused halt.

He spotted Brighid instantly, walking up from behind the troops, a glowing sword in each hand and her normal impassive expression. It took longer to recognize the tall figure beside her.

You’d never have called Mòrag scruffy, but seeing her in a military uniform, a peaked cap with a visor that seemed to cover half her face, was new. The expression was a bit firmer, missing that slight smirk she often had, but he could see the signs of her anger in her movements and was just glad it wasn’t aimed at him.

“Lieutenant Taskill, may I have a moment of your attention.”

The man in question’s eyes went wide as he spun to face her, “Special Inquisitor Mòrag?”

She smiled thinly at him as the wall of fire died out, “I was hoping you might explain why I’m looking at what seems to be a military deployment against civilians just going about their business.”

With a smoothness that looked almost practiced Rorie and his men put their collection of weapons behind their backs and tried to look extremely law-abiding.

Mòrag leaned in a little, “And while you’re at it, I’m a bit curious about any knowledge you might have on the Crag Hill crime group.”

The lieutenant came to attention in front of Mòrag with that sick expression of someone watching their career pass in front of his eyes. “I can explain this?”

Mòrag’s expression could technically be called a grin, she was showing teeth after all, “Do tell. I would suggest you be very convincing.”

With that going on Rorie almost missed Brighid wandering over, “I am glad we were not too late.”

Evander smirked, “Evening Lady Brighid, naaa, we had this in hand, it would have been fine.”

That got a politely disbelieving look as Rorie nodded in the direction of the troops, “Our girl has cleaned up well hasn’t she.”

Brighid got a small smile as she looked towards her Driver, “I feel it suits her. The Emperor is a good person … I would not have minded being his Blade if not for circumstances.”

Rorie nodded. Well that just proved that Emperor Niall was good people then. The lady had high standards. “I was told by one of the gangs that she wouldn’t be here to protect us anymore, that she was all gone away to be a noble and swan around in the palace. They don’t know our Mòrag very well do they.”

The Blade looked back at him, “We can’t always be here, in fact we mostly won’t. But she’s been getting reports of what you’ve been doing … she approves of it, we both do.”

“Well, we could hardly go letting you and herself down, could we.”

Brighid nodded, “We never had any fear of that, that any of you would let us down.”

Evander pointed over at where Mòrag was in the process of arresting the Lieutenant, “You make sure she knows that we’re not going to let her down. She made us into a community again and we ain’t going to waste the chance she gave us. She may be a princess now but she came from here, she’s our princess and we’re not going to ever disappoint her.”

The Jewel of Mor Ardain smiled, “I sometimes wonder if I need to thank those men that stole me. I can think of no better Driver I could have had then her.” Then she turned to give the group of men a bow, “I give you our word, we will not disappoint you either.”

Rorie smirked, “Eh, it took her what nine years to go from a street kid to a princess? I’m pretty sure she’s just getting started, I look forward to seeing what she does next.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first posted story so I hope people like it.
> 
> Many thanks to my amazing betas pheonix89 and Grundpfeiler who did so much to make this story what it is.


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